ArtsHub speaks to Umberto Clerici, the new Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) as he is deep in preparation for Mahler’s 6th Symphony, one of the highlights of his 2023 season. His first time conducting the Sixth, though he has previously conducted both the First and Fourth Symphonies, he will subsequently conduct the work to glowing reviews.
‘The biggest challenge as a conductor, given the length of the Symphony, is the emotional pacing. It’s a very loud work and one needs to find moments in which it peaks, or there will never be a sense of accomplishment. One needs to have a clear arc of how to achieve that and I’m still working on it,’ he concludes. Clearly, he succeeded in finding that elusive arc.
